Refrigerator car



Jan. 16, 1934. J' LUNDVALL REFRIGERATOR CAR 3 Sheets-Sheet '1 Filed Dec.31. 1930 fiww z a 54 4 g m M M Jan. 16, 1934. J. LUNDVALL REFRIGERATORCAR Filed Dec. 31, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 16, 1934REFRIGERATOR CAR John Lundvall, Chicago, Ill., assignor to EquipmentSpecialties Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of IllinoisApplication December 31, 1930 Serial No. 505,677

6 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigerator cars, and particularly torefrigerating apparatus therefor.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improvedrefrigerant container.

Another object is the provision of an improved galvanized brine tankstructure which may be galvanized after complete construction withoutwarping or bulging of the walls of the tank.

Another object of the invention is to provide a chilling tank which canbe used with brine for a long time without appreciable corrosion.

A further object of the invention is to provide an iron chilling tankhaving fittings autogeneously mounted thereon and galvanized in such amanner that it is enduring and corrosion resisting in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and useful mannerof assembling such tanks in a refrigerator car.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and simple methodof connecting a plurality of tanks together.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the invention willhereinafter appear from the following description of a preferredembodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,in which:--

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of a refrigerator car showing aset of four brine tanks at one end of the car; 7

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional detail View showing a side of one ofthe tanks;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of one of the tanks removed from thecar;

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan thereof taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevational View of one of the tank supportbeams; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail view on the line 77 of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly Figs. 1 and 2, the referencenumeral 10 desigr nates the interior sheathing of the side walls,

11 the interior roof sheathing, 12 the interior end wall sheathing, and13 the floor. Further description of the car is believed to beunnecessary, the same being constructed in the usual or any suitablemanner to prevent, as far as possible, conduction of heat through thewalls.

Adjacent the end sheathing 12 is arranged a row of vertical brine tanks14, shown by way of example as four in number. The tanks are elevatedabove the floor level and terminate adjacent the roof sheathing 11. Infront of the row of tanks 14 is provided a bulkhead or partition 15which extends across the car and tersheathing 11, and a substantialdistance above the floor 13, so as to leave an upper passageway 9 and alower passageway 17 for the circulation of air around the brine tanks 14and through the main space of the car. Half of the bulkhead 15 is shownin Fig. 1, the other half being broken away to disclose the tanks on theright hand side. The tanks 14 are mounted in spaced relation withrespect to each other and with respect to the side wall sheathing 10,end wall sheathing l2, and the bulkhead 15, so that the circulating airmay be thoroughly cooled.

As shown in Fig. 4, the tanks are preferably substantially rectangularin cross-section so that they may utilize the space between the endsheathing 12 and bulkhead 15 to best advantage while ensuring efficientcirculation of air around the tanks. Each tank is preferably provided atintervals along its length with outwardly directed beads or corrugations16. It is found that when brine tanks having large plane surfaces intheir sides are subjected to the heat stresses generated during thegalvanizing of the completely assembled tank, there is a marked tendencytoward the warping of the sheets. One of the most important features ofthe invention is the provision of the corrugations 18, which preventsuch warping of the sheets and which also tend to strengthen the tank sothat thinner sheets may be used.

The tanks 14 are supported along their forward and rear edges by crossbeams 18 which comprise upwardly directed channels 19 having their outerflanges longer than their inner flanges to receive wooden rails ofangular cross section, upon which the tanks rest. The channels 19 arereinforced by metal webs 21 which are welded or otherwise secured attheir ends to the ends of the channels. Intermediate their ends the webs21 are maintained in spaced relation to the channels 19 by means of Zstruts 22 which are welded or otherwise secured to the channels and Websso that their intermediate lengths are longitudinal with respect to thebeams. Opposite struts 22 of the beams 18 are secured together by meansof tie rods 23 which pass through openings provided in the intermediatelengths of the struts 22 and are provided with nuts or other suitablemeans so that they prevent the beams from spreading. The ends of thebeams 18 are engaged by metal straps 24 which are formed to engage theouter flanges of the channels 19, the undersides of the webs 21, and theinner flanges or" the channels 19. The intermediate portion of each endstrap extends horizontally between the two inner flanges of the channels19 and flush with the top edges thereof, so that it is slightly belowthe bottom of the tanks 14, which rest upon the rails 20. The end straps24 are mounted upon timbers 25 which are secured to the side walls ofthe car and are cut to conform to the shape of said straps. It will bereadily understood that the timbers 25 support the weight of the tanksand their contents and position the tanks above the floor level.

It will readily be understood that the engagement of the rails 20 withthe bottom of the tanks is adapted to prevent rearward and forwardmovement thereof. A rail 26 mounted on the car adjacent the rear topedges of the tanks prevents rearward displacement of the upper portionsof the tanks While a transverse timber 27 secured to the roof of the carprevents the forward displacement of the upper portions of the tanks.

In order to prevent lateral movement of the tanks, I may secure blocks23 upon the rails 20 between adjacent tanks and on the outer sides ofthe end tanks. In order to prevent such movement of the upper ends ofthe tanks, I may provide timbers 29 and 30 which extend in thelongitudinal direction of the car.

The tanks 14 are preferably associated in pairs and each pair of tanksis adapted to be supplied with ice and salt by a common hatchway 31,provided with a suitable closure (not shown). The timber 30 extendsacross the hatchway between the tanks, and serves to prevent thematerials supplied from falling between the tanks. The hatchway 31 andtimber 30 are preferably provided with a sheathing 32 of sheet metalwhich preferably extends downwardly below the upper edges of the tanksas seen in Fig. 1. The sheathing 32 preferably extends over the adjacentportion of the roof as a flashing.

The bulkhead 15 may suitably be supported upon vertical I beams 33 whichextend from the timber 27 to the floor of the car. The lower purtion ofthe partition is preferably in the form of a door 34, connected byhinges 35 to the upper part of the partition so as to render the lowerparts of the tanks and particularly the hand holes 36, accessible. Eachpair of tanks is preferably connected near their bottoms by means of ahose 3'? and one of each pair, or both if desired, is provided with avalve 38 whereby the brine may be allowed to flow out by pipe 39. Thevalve 38 may suitably be controlled by the rod 40 which extends upwardlythrough the timber 30 and terminates in a handle 41 whereby it may bemanipulated from the top of the car when servicing the tanks.

The pipes 39 discharge into a pan 42 located below the tanks 14 at alower level than the floor of the car. The brine may escape from the pan42 by means of a suitable drain trap 43 and spout 44.

The tanks 14 are subjected to severe treatment both from the vibrationapplied to them in their normal use and the corrosive action of the iceand salt employed in them. Tanks with soldered seams have provedineffective to resist the shocks and vibration to which they areexposed. The te fiiks are preferably made of sheet iron in View ofeconomy and durability. Owing to the rapid corrosion of iron whenexposed to salt solution, I have used galvanized sheet iron which hasproved unsatisfactory for soldering, riveting, and other constructionaloperations have had the result of weakening the zinc coating whichflakes off, exposing the iron and resulting in corrosion and leakage.

I have discovered that in order to produce a satisfactory iron tanksuitable for this service, ungalvanized sheet iron should be employed.The tank is fabricated from this material and secured together inassembled condition by welding. The fittings permanently mounted on thetank are also preferably of iron and are preferably welded to the tankso that an autogeneous structure results. Thereafter, the wholestructure is galvanized so that an integral, unstrained and completecoating of zinc is applied over its whole surface.

The body of the tank 14 is preferably made from two sheets of iron bentinto substantially rectangular section, the edges being brought togetherand securely welded one to the other. These sheets are preferably formedwith the beads or corrugations 16, which, stiffen the structure, enablelighter sheet iron to be employed, and prevent bulging of the sidesduring galvanizing and when the tank is full of brine.

The upper end of the tank 14 is reinforced by a ring 45 which is securedto the tank by welding. The bottom of the tank is provided by a piece ofsheet metal 46 dished to provide vertical walls conforming to the shapeof the tank body which is inserted in the bottom and secured thereto bywelding. The lower face of the bottom 46 is preferably provided with aplurality of upwardly pressed corrugations 47, and also with a pluralityof upstanding studs 48, preferably secured thereon by welding.

Each tank comprises openings in which fittings are mounted. Thus each.tank is provided with a hand hole 36 in which is mounted a fitting 49which comprises a hexagonal flange 50 which may be suitably tack weldedat its corners to the tank Wall, and may be securely welded to the tankaround the opening 35 on the inside. The fitting 49 supports a suitableclosure for the hand hole 36. Each tank is provided with a hose nipple51 which comprises an outer tubular portion 52, an outer face flange 53,and an obliquely cut inner tubular portion 54, which projects through anopening into the interior of the tank. The nipple 51 may be suitablysecured to the tank by tack welding the flange 53 at intervals to theexterior tank wall and by Welding the tubular portion 54 around itscircumference to the tank wall on the inside. The main fitting of thevalve 38 may be secured to the tank in the same manner. The fittingsreferred to may be secured to the tank by tack welding interiorly andcircumferential welding exteriorly or they may be welded to the tank bycircumferential Welding both 1 inside and outside.

The tank thus constructed is galvanized as a Whole, providing aprotective coating of zinc over its whole surface, which is not weakenedby soldering, riveting, or other subsequent constructional operation.

In order to reinforce the bottom and protect it from wear anddestruction by the ice supplied during use and by workmen removingsediment through the hand holes 36, I provide an internal wood bottom55, preferably in two pieces. The wood bottom is provided with openingsthrough which the studs 48 pass. The wood bottom is held to the metalbottom by means of washers 56 and cotter pins 57 passing through Thisair is likewise cooled and a circulation of air is set up whicheifectively chills the car and its contents. The ice and salt becomeconverted into brine which is retained in the tanks 14 by the valves 33for two reasons. This brine is highly corrosive and should not bedischarged upon the road bed since it would cause serious deteriorationof the rails, switch gear and other metal structures. In the secondplace the brine acquires a very low temperature and it is a veryeffective refrigerant for a long period after the contents of the tanksare completely liquefied. Accordingly, the brine is discharged, when thecars are serviced, by opening the valves 38 allowing the brine to escapethrough the pipes 39, pan 42, drain trap 43, and spout 44 to suitablemeans provided to receive same. When one tank of each pair is providedwith a valve 38, the brine flows from one tank to another through thehose 37.

Dirt and mud derived from the ice and salt are periodically removedthrough the hand holes 36. When this is necessary, the door 34 isreleased and turned back on its hinges to render the hand holes 36accessible.

If desired, suitable openings or perforations 58 may be provided in theupper part of the tanks 14: so as to permit the car to be used as aventilated car without brine. The openings 58, as shown in Fig. 1, maysuitably be provided by slitting one face or" the tank adjacent itsupper end, on uniformly spaced vertical lines and bending the metalbetween adjacent slits into right angles to the face from which they areformed, to provide iouvers 59, which offer minimum resistance to theentrance or egress of air.

In order to reinforce the louvers 59, I prefer to provide a corrugatedbar 60 adapted to engage the edges of the louvers at a positionintermediate of their length. The end may pass through one of theopenings 58 from one side of the face to the other and its ends may besecured in any suitable way to the wall of the tank.

It should be understood that some brine tanks and hatchways are providedat each end of the car so that, if desired, the hatchways may be openedat each end of the car, the coversrbeing so disposed or pitched upwardthat they act as baffles to direct the air into the hatchway. The airwill then pass into the brine tanks through the louvers and into one endof the car and out through the louvers and hatchways through the otherend of the car, while the car is traveling. The present structure isthus adapted to effect ventilation of the car, and whenever desired thecars may be utilized with the brine tanks empty, and the objects in thecar may be subjected to ventilation or the car may travel underventilation for the purpose of drying out the interior of the car.

Although the invention has been described in connection with thespecific details of a preferred embodiment thereof, it must beunderstood that such details are not intended to be limitative of theinvention, except insofar as set forth in the accompanying claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patout is:

1. A refrigerating tank adapted for use in refrigerator cars,constructed from sheet iron and assembled by welding and having fittingswelded thereon, and having means welded to the iron bottom for securingan internal wood bottom, the

whole metal assembly being galvanized after assembly.

2. An elongated, open ended, refrigerating tank of substantiallyrectangular cross section, and adapted for use in refrigerator cars,constructed from sheet iron and assembled by welding and having fittingswelded thereon, the side walls being provided with spaced horizontalcorrugations and the iron bottom being corrugated and having weldedthereto a plurality of studs, the whole being galvanized after assembly,an inner wood bottom, and means securing the wood bottom to the studs.

3. In a refrigerant tank, a dish like metal bottom, circularcorrugations therein projecting upwardly, studs carried by the metalbottom projecting upwardly, and an internal wood bottom having openingsthrough which the studs pass, and pins passing through the studssecuring the wood bottom to the metal bottom.

4. A brine tank for refrigerator cars or the like, comprising anelongated sheet metal tank having substantially rectangular sides, thebody of the tank being formed of iron, having its ends brought intojuxtaposition and secured together, a bottom for said tank comprising asheet metal member of iron having a border flange embracing the bodyportions of the tank and secured thereto, said body portion havingperipherally extending corrugations located at spaced intervals fromeach other and extending about said tank for the purpose of preventingthe bulging of the sides of said tank under heat, and the whole of saidtank being galvanized over all without substantial deformation of thesides of said tank due to said corrugations, said bottom having upwardlyextending securing members and a wooden false bottom carried by saidsecuring members for supporting ice in said tank.

5. In a brine tank for refrigerator cars or the like, the combination ofan elongated metal tank having substantially rectan ular sides and asubstantially rectangular bottom with a false bottom for supporting icein said tank, comprising a wooden member, said wooden member havingbores, inwardly projecting studs carried by the bottom of said tankpassing through said bores in said false bottom, and means carried bysaid studs for securing said false bottom to the bottom of said tank.

6. A brine tank for refrigerator cars or the like, comprising anelongated sheet metal tank having substantially rectangular sides, thebody of the tank being formed of iron, having its ends brought intojuxtaposition and secured together, a bottom for said tank comprising asheet metal member of iron having a border flange embracing the bodyportions of the tank and secured thereto, said body portion havingperipherally extending corrugations located at spaced intervals fromeach other and extending about said tank for the purpose of preventingthe bulging of the sides of said tank under heat, and the whole of saidtank being galvanized over all without substantial deformation of thesides of said tank due to said corrugations, said bottom having upwardlyextending securing members and a wooden false bottom carried by saidsecuring members for supporting ice in said tank, said tank beingprovided with a hand hole adjacent its lower end on one side and aremovable covering for said hand hole.

JOHN LUNDVALL.

